Virtual ][ 8.0 – The Apple II emulator for Mac gets major update

A new version of Virtual II emulator has been released. The new version 8.0 brings many new features and improvements. The big changes are behind the scenes, resulting in a 64-bit application that is compatible with the most recent MacOS APIs changes. This, at the end, ensures the longevity of Virtual ][ running on this and the next versions of the Apple Operating System.

Other than the internal API updates, the list below contains the changes for this release:

A disk image file can now be double-clicked in the Finder to start a virtual machine with that disk inserted.

Added the feature to speak the text on the Apple II screen, using the Mac voice synthesizer.

Fixed an issue that could cause a new virtual machine window to appear with a very small size.

Fixed an issue that caused the Inspector’s disassembly to show empty lines when scrolled.

Rewrote the “movie making” feature to use the AVFoundation framework. When running macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) or later, the movie is written using the HEVC codec. The older system uses the H264 codec.

Clarified the section in the Help file on game controller setup.

Removed the option to select a folder where the ROM files are located. This feature often caused confusion and led to some tricky problems. You can however still select a specific ROM file for a virtual machine. If you don’t specify such a file, the app will search for a matching ROM file in one of the standard locations.

The app now submits crashes or similar app issues to the developer. These reports are fully anonymous and help to improve the app. If you wish you can disable it in the application preferences.

Virtual ][ is the best and more complete option to emulate Apple II on your MacOS. If you are looking for an option for Apple II emulation, I recommend it as I personally use it all the time. You can learn more about Virtual ][ reading our thorough review here.

UPDATE 01/05/2018: Version 8.0.1 is already available with small bug fixes.